A Touch Of Death
by crescent-moon-demon
Summary: Haseo begins to lose control of his obsession for Silabus after the AIDA server. He stalks Silabus around 'The World', touching him, who for some reason starts to actually feel the touches physically. But something's wrong... This time, who can be blamed?
1. Prologue

**C.M.D: This is my first .Hack fanfic, so be kind please! I'm going by the videogame here, taking place in the beginning of .Hack/G.U volume 2, after the AIDA server. There will be yaoi and maybe a little out-of-characterness for some people. So, just bear with me, k?**

He didn't know exactly when it started, or when the attraction happened, he just knew that it was getting harder to ignore. Probably he shouldn't have felt it, at least that's what he told himself, after all there was Shino. Shino... even now he couldn't stop thinking about her but the initial feelings he had toward her had faded.

Now all he thought about when he conjured her image, was how he needed to save her. Save her, and the others. Back to the point at hand... he was confused when he started to like Silabus, in a sexual way, considering he never really liked the blade brandier to begin with. He found both the brunette and the pink-dog beast, Gaspard, nuisances from the get-go.

This of course had changed, as well as his feelings to several other players.

Haseo found himself warming up to the other individuals, and it amazed and scared him. His mission was dangerous itself, and it seemed to always be putting others in harm's way. Wasn't it better, for him and everyone else, when he had remained cold and distant? He couldn't really say.

Through his search he'd discovered answers and plenty more questions, powers and met more people. One of them being Atoli. Atoli... Haseo didn't think there was a more annoying person on the face of the planter than the Shino look-alike.

Surprisingly, but maybe not, people thought they would make a cute couple. He thought this was beyond stupid. It's not that he hated the girl, but she was weak, whiny and way too clingy. He had enough problems of his own; he didn't need a spine-less, insecure girl giving him more.

Besides, she had proved her worthlessness in a relationship already. When he was feeling distraught, still trying to summon forth his Epitaph and nearing an emotional breakdown, Atoli was busy complaining about how she didn't want to be ignored.

The girl was too dense to realize that he needed comforting, not her. But Silabus...Silabus noticed and offered to help, without making it apparent that he knew Haseo was struggling. Maybe that's when he started to like the brunette.

Either way... he wanted the green-dressed male, so much so it was starting to become his obsession.

* * *

His fingers danced across the keyboard, visor slipping over his eyes as he sat at his desk. A small sardonic grin spread across his lips as he read **The World'**s message boards. A thread, started by a few of the players who'd been trapped in the game for an expanse of a few minutes, had been almost completely deleted. All the comments made by trapped players had been cleared off the forum.

The teen chuckled dryly, exiting out of the message boards and opening up his inbox. It seemed the company didn't want anyone to hear about the AIDA server fiasco. That was so typical of global organizations. So damn afraid of losing their profit that they'd wipe out all evidence that there was a problem, just to keep the status quota to its maximum- no matter who was put in danger because of it.

The smile faded as he scanned his email, opening up a letter from Atoli. Worry slithered into his gut as he read before closing his inbox. Atoli... her hand was paralyzed exactly the same as it had been in the game. Quickly, the youth logged into **The World.**

His view of his desk and computer vanished behind a familiar stream of metallic monochrome sparks, before settling down. He found himself in a large circular room now, light streaming in through long, thin windows behind him; the warp portal humming at his backside.

Ignoring the players around him, the adept rogue hurried out of the dome, opening the large wood doors to be met with bright afternoon sunlight. The beautiful city, Mac Anu. Haseo gazed at the city distantly, before moving down the dome's steps. In front of the fountain in the Alchemy district... that's where Atoli said she would be waiting to talk to him.

Thinking about the girl's player hand, data chipping away in luminescent flakes, increased his anxiety. Atoli may piss him off nearly all the time, but the grey-haired teen didn't wish for her to end up in a coma. He could never wish that on anyone...

Deciding to save himself some time, Haseo used the warp point to take himself over to the Alchemy District. He walked over the bridge, and true to her word, Atoli was standing in front of the fountain. She was looking back and forth, before she spotted him, running up a little to meet him.

"Oh, Haseo!," she greeted, smiling.

"Atoli...," he replied.

The girl clasped her hands together, smiling brighter. "Look...," she chirped, "I mean, listen! I can speak normally again!"

Haseo nodded, having already noticed that the girl's microphone was fixed. "But...what about your paralyzed hand?," he questioned, concerned. Atoli's smile fell, her eyes gazing down at her left hand. She touched the back of it lightly.

"Well...it's still there," she answered. She looked back at him, smiling again. "But even so, the fact that I can speak is a big step forward! Look, I even bought a controller that I can use with one hand," she added, laughing.

Haseo frowned, his skin crawling with her laugh. Was the girl this dense? This was a serious matter they were dealing with! "Are you sure you want to keep going with **The World**?" Atoli blinked at his question, cocking her head to the side. Haseo had to fight the urge to sigh. "I mean, aren't you scared?"

The Harvest Cleric still didn't answer him, turning her gaze down to the floor. This time, Haseo had to fight back a growl. "Come on. It's not like **The World**'s going to go away. So why not take some time off," he pressed. He had to get this girl to understand that things were different now. This was no longer just a game.

Atoli's head snapped up, her hands clenched at her chest. "Of course I'm scared...," she shouted, "...I'm scared but I'm not going to quit **The World**! Ever!" The Adept Rogue said nothing in response, slightly shocked at the female's reaction. "Afterall, I can tell... this isn't something that a doctor can cure. If I don't do my best here, it'll never be healed," she finished.

Haseo gave in, and mentally sighed, suddenly tired. The Harvest Cleric was the most irritating person to deal with in his new band of followers, but she at least was getting how serious this situation was. Still, it did nothing to ease the feeling of helplessness he was experiencing. _'...There's, there's nothing I can do for Atoli is there? So I have an Avatar now. So, what? Nothing's changed at all... First Shino, then Atoli... I can't save anyone by myself.'_

Unaware of the male's mental berating, Atoli continued on. "And also, don't forget the fact that Sakaki's here. And..."

Haseo snapped to attention at the mention of Atoli's fellow Moon Tree member, a spark of anger blooming in his chest. There were very few people in **The World** who were targets of the Adept Rogue's vast hatred, but Sakaki was one of them and Haseo spared him nothing. Aside from Sakaki's greater-than-thou attitude, which always managed to piss him off, he thought the green-haired player suspicious. Maybe it was irrational, but there was something that he just didn't trust about Sakaki, and he'd be skipping for joy if the Moon Tree member were to just vanish from existence.

"...Haseo?," came Atoli's meek voice.

The girl was looking at the Adept Rogue worriedly, her eyes wide with slight fear. He figured his face must have been quite terrifying, if he judged by how mad he felt. He focused his red orbs on her tiny figure, feeling his anger grow.

"You're not feeling well... are you?," he snapped. Not leaving room for her to answer, he continued, "If you have time in the game, you should rest up."

Atoli flinched as he finished, nodding her head, staring at the floor again. "...okay. Well then...," she whispered. Her body was surrounded by light, disappearing into the ring that rose from her feet up to her head.

Haseo felt guilt worm its way into his rage after she had logged off, the combination making him queasy to his stomach. He hadn't meant to be mean to the girl, it was just... Dammit, he was just trying to look out for her! But she was too stupid to get that, blinded by her obsession with her cell leader, Sakaki. She even defended the bastard -how could he expect that she would get his feelings toward the other man?

Sighing, the Adept Rogue signed off as well. He knew Atoli felt most at home here in **The World**... if only she could break away from the strangling hold Sakaki had on her.

"I'll check my email," the grey-haired teen grumbled to himself, shaking off his conversation with the Harvest Cleric. He'd dwell on it later.

* * *

As soon as he logged off, he saw that he had gotten three emails. The first two were from Kuhn, talking about Atoli and asking him to come Raven's home, the last was Yata ordering him to come to the guild as well. Deciding to just go along with it, he signed back into **The World** and made his way over to the guild.

He was in there for a good ten minutes, and when he came out he was possibly madder than he had been when he finished talking to Atoli. He could understand Kuhn's leaving, after all he didn't want to put anymore in danger as well. But shutting down the server was not an option, not until Shino and the others were saved at least.

It wasn't like the Adept Rogue was siding with Yata -that bald asshole was in the same category as Sakaki- but shutting down **The World** meant that noone could get in, Epitaph users included, there was no denying that truth. But that's not what had him so pissed. Stomping past Raven's grunty, Haseo was tempted to kick it out of pure spite, but continued on past the non-player character and out of the guild.

What really pissed him off was the fact that Yata had to take on that attitude of his, as if he was God and Haseo and the others were just mindless, blithering idiots. Then he had to go and mention Shino! He had no right to talk about her, none at all!

He would have pkked the guy by now, if it wasn't for the information that Yata was withholding.

Okay, so maybe he wasn't entirely sure that Raven's Guildmaster was keeping secrets, but with the AIDA server and finding out that Yata knew about the virus having a system folder... well, he definitely had his suspicions, and his trust for the man just dropped a few more notches below negative.

Fuming still, Haseo marched toward the warp point, intent on blowing off some steam in a field. There was a ping as he received a short mail, his eyes widening in surprise seeing who it was from.

Silabus.

Immediately, the Adept Rogue's anger melted and he spun back around heading back to the guild and pulling out his key. After all this crap, he was more than eager to see the blade brandier. Canard's doors opened to him, and he stepped inside, red eyes landing on Silabus and Gaspard not far away from him.

They turned to him, Gaspard looking distressed. "Hey, Haseo. You've gotta help me out!," he pleaded. "Silabus said he won't believe me at all!"

Haseo didn't need to ask what the beast-player was going on about, he was well aware that Gaspard was talking about the AIDA server. Apart from him, Atoli, Kuhn, Pi, Yata and a bunch of other people he didn't care for, Gaspard had been trapped in the virus' version of **The World** as well.

The grey-haired teen had told the boy to stay put in the guild while he went about trying to solve the situation. He had at least managed to keep the dog-beast safe. He was glad that Silabus hadn't been there also. He didn't know if he could handle the green-clad male being in harm's way.

"Now now, Gaspard," Silabus chastised. "No matter how much fun **The World** may be, games and reality are totally seperate things."

Haseo kept quiet still. He was still dwelling on the possiblities of Silabus being trapped in the AIDA server... and it wasn't painting a pretty picture either. He knew he was going to be sick if he kept thinking like this. But maybe things would be alright if he told them.

Haseo gave a mental shake of the head, getting rid of that last thought. It would be too dangerous to agree with Gaspard then tell them the truth. 'These guys don't need to know about AIDA or avatars for that matter,' he concluded. The grey-headed male looked at his fellow guild members. They were here to have fun... they didn't need to get involved with this complicated shit.

"Yeah, Gaspard," Haseo agreed, "How could something like that happen? heh..."

The beast player seemed a little hurt at that. "Haseo?! But you were there too... weren't you?," he asked, confusion molding his features. "Hmm? Mmmm... that's weird. I mean, that's really weird. Was I dreaming or something?"

Silabus chuckled a little. "You know that's just like you to dream while you're playing. Of course, I also think it would be great if **The World** were to become real," he commented.

Haseo nearly choked on his own spittle. He had just been thinkin about how maybe it wouldn't be so bad if Silabus had been in the AIDA server, because in that place everything they experienced was _real_, and it would be a great opportunity for him; when the blade brandier had to go and say something like that.

Now his imagination was running wild on him, demonstrating to him all the wonders of having another virus fiasco, where he could be with Silabus, and the brunette would be able to feel... Feel when the Adept Rogue touched him, kissed him, tasted him, fu-

Haseo cut his thoughts off right there. Now was not the time to be thinking things like this! He was supposed to be having a serious conversation!! Sighing, the teen waved goodbye to the other two, leaving the guild. He saved his progress so far and signed off the game. Today was just mentally exhausting.

Shutting down his computer, the teen mulled over the fact that everday since Shino's pkking had been like this. Draining. The male got out of his chair, wincing in discomfort at the hard-on he was sporting, making his way to the bathroom. His clock read out 12:31 as he passed it, and he ran a hand down his face in response. He needed to get some sleep.

* * *

Data streamed all around the world in metallic multicoloured layers, connecting different terminals to each other, sending their own digital information into other PCs. A whole different world continued to stay awake, not needing sleep, or food, or drink. Decompressing, and compressing lines of numbers and codes, constantly without end in sight. One file made its way through the network, downloading into a private email inbox. It was coloured yellow, unread.

Under sender, there was only one name: Ovan.

**C.M.D: If anyone's ever played the game, you'll properly have noticed that I actually taken some of the conversations of the characters and used them in their proper place. Why bother? Because I like to that's why. Anyways, review and tell me what you think!!**


	2. Just A Shiver

**C.M.D: Thanks for reviewing NeoFio, Blau, and Syek. And thanks everyone else who read. Virtual pies for all!!**

The teen sat rigid in his chair, re-reading through the email. He had found it when he'd signed in after coming home from school, noticing that he had one unread email in his inbox. Slipping his headset on, he directed the mouse to his email, his heart stopping when he realized who the sender was. Ovan...

Red eyes roamed over the words again, for a third time, the sense of disbelief still remaining. Ovan sounded so casual in the message... and he knew about Atoli. The male felt a surge of anger break through his shock, and he angrily exited his inbox. What right did Ovan have emailing him, inviting him to talk?! His finger stamped furiously as he logged onto **The World**, the view of his room disappearing to be replaced with the portal room of Mac Anu.

The black Adept Rogue walked up to the rotating blue orb, his facial expression fixed into a frown. Should he go? Did he really want to? Haseo sighed, running a hand through his hair. Even if he didn't really want to go, he knew he would anyways. Because it was Ovan...

Huffing, the teen put in the code and headed over to **Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground**, where Ovan had told him to meet him. The scene around him blurred away in a metallic stream, before reassembling itself again, the **Hulle Granz** temple looming over him. Feeling slightly nervous, and still fuming slightly, Haseo walked the short distance to the church's door; pushing them open and entering.

The sound of a faraway choir met his ears, the music supplied by the system. The light in here was softer, streaming through the cathedral's windows in pillars, making it seem more ethereal. Not that the Adept Rogue really cared. They were just CG's, nothing more. Red eyes narrowed as they looked ahead through the soft light, spotting a figure standing before the altar. White cape, blue scarf, large steamgun for an arm: Ovan.

The glass-like floor echoed the sounds of his footsteps as he approached the steam gunner, lips fixed in a permanent scowl. Responding to approach, Ovan turned around and faced the teen, who stopped just past the first row of pews. "Hello Haseo," the man greeted, calm and collected as he always seemed to be.

Haseo crossed his arms over his chest, refusing to say anything in return. He didn't care if it was rude... When it came to someone like Ovan, he had every right to act like he wanted. And if that meant giving the man the cold shoulder, so be it!

Ovan cocked his head a little, a fleeting smile appearing on his lips before it was gone. "You have a rather serious look about you," the steam gunner remarked.

Haseo's scowl deepened. "...What do you want?," he demanded after a moment. "Ovan, that excuse about wanting to help is so lame it wouldn't even pass for third grade theater," he added in, snippily.

The blue-haired male's widened an inch in response, before settling back to normal. "Mm," Ovan hummed, in what Haseo guess was supposed to be a dejected tone. It sounded quite the opposite actually, "It's tough to have your sincerity rejected. You're like a younger brother to me, so I couldn't leave you to fend for yourself."

"Hah!," Haseo barked, face twisting in a nasty sneer, his eyes flashing angrily._ 'Oh, the hypocrisy!'_ "You're the one who abandoned the Twilight Brigade! And by the way, where do you get off calling me your brother? Who do you think you are?"

Ovan looked generally surprised by the rogue's reaction. "Well now, that's a surprise," the man breathed. "Do you think I disappeared for no reason, Haseo?"

'_Fuck, yes!,'_ the teen screamed in his mind. He gritted his teeth, glaring at the man he had once looked to. It was Ovan's fault that the Twilight Brigade broke apart, and that Shino ended up a Lost One. If she hadn't been set on waiting for Ovan to return... if she hadn't been waiting here, in this very area... Haseo took a deep breath, but it didn't calm him down.

"Yeah, well who cares about the reason?," he snapped. His anger tripled as the pain of Ovan's betrayal showed itself. "All that matters is that you abandoned us. That's enough."

Ovan shifted, his clunky arm dragging across the floor with the action. The man looked almost... repentant. "I'm afraid that is an undeniable truth," the steam gunner sighed. "However, at the same time, it is only one of several truths. Did you not wish to finally know the truth?"

Haseo tensed as Ovan's strong gaze landed on him, the other player's question still ringing in his head. "...the truth?," he asked. He was just slightly confused. He knew there were things people weren't telling him...but to hear Ovan talk about truth. What could he possibly mean?

"Yes," Ovan answered. "The reason that Shino fell into a coma, Tri-edge's identity and the secrets of the Epitaphs. Once investigated, they all lead to a single entity. Do you know what that is?"

Haseo paused for a second, giving it some thought. There was only thing related to all three... "...AIDA?," he replied, uncertain. He couldn't be sure that was the right answer, not the way that Ovan was posing the question. But the man only nodded, his orange glasses reflecting the light and obscuring his eyes for a moment.

"Exactly. It all begins with AIDA. Pursue AIDA. Everything from how to save Shino, to how to help Atoli can be found with AIDA." The way Ovan said it, was like he was demanding Haseo to take action. A bit pushy, much?

"Hey, just how much do you know anyway? What do you know about Atoli?," the teen yelled. It was unnerving that the steam gunner knew so much, when he wasn't even a member of G.U. Like a cornered wolf, Haseo couldn't help but snap. "You know what? You always know too damn much!!"

It was true. It's what added to Ovan's mysteriousness. The speculation of how much he knew, the wonder of how he knew what he knew... it all made the man all that more intriguing, and unbelievably dangerous. Haseo couldn't believe that he had practically trusted this man once.

Ovan smirked at the predictable response. "Trust me, I don't know everything there is to know either. Haseo, listen to me... Epitaphs call AIDA, and AIDA calls Epitaphs."

Haseo clenched his fists, standing his ground though he desperately wished to leave. The blue-haired male was beginning to grate on his last nerve, the longer he droned on, but he knew if he didn't stay... Than the teen might just miss something important. Saving Shino, helping Atoli, protecting the others... those duties were bigger than his feelings toward the steam gunner. _'Silabus... I do this_ _for Silabus,'_ Haseo told himself. That helped the Adept Rogue calm a little.

"Epitaphs...call AIDA?"

Ovan nodded. "Yes. But, only a small piece of truth will appear in front of a single Epitaph. If you wish to know the entire truth, you will need to gather the Eight Phases of Morganna."

"Eight Phases...?," the grey-haired male asked. Hadn't Yata mentioned something like that once. Now Haseo was curious.

"Yes. In other words...," Ovan began, "The First Phase, _The Terror of Death_, Skeith. The Second Phase, _The Mirage of Deceit_, Innis. The Third Phase, _The Propagation_, Magus. The Fourth Phase, _The Prophet_, Fidchell. The Fifth Phase, _The Machinator_, Gorre. The Sixth Phase, _The Avenger_, Tarvos. And the Eighth, and final, Phase, _The Rebirth_, Corbenik... These eight Epitaphs are known as the Eight Phases of Morganna."

"So basically, if I gather all of them, AIDA will just appear?!," Haseo interrogated. It seemed almost unbelievable...but then again, being transported to a AIDA server and falling into a coma from playing **The World **sounded pretty crazy too, yet they still happened.

Ovan was silent for a moment, before he answered. "...Yes. Furthermore, your nemesis Tri-edge, and the Epitaphs, will likely appear."

The black Adept Rogue clenched his teeth to keep the gasp from escaping, but he was sure his surprise still showed on his face. Ovan did not mention it though. "Do you see the path?," the man asked, instead, starting to walk toward the teen. Haseo kept himself from flinching or lunging at the man, watching as the steam gunner stepped right past him.

"Wait!!," he shouted in shock. He turned to face Ovan's retreating back. "Hey! Why did you tell me these things anyway?!"

Ovan paused in his stride, still not facing Haseo. "Is atonement not a good enough reason for you?," he asked.

The teen drew his arms back, fists clenched painfully. "Don't give me that!," he yelled out, "Do you think I'm really stupid enough to swallow that story?!" Ovan didn't answer, opting to walk out the cathedral instead, the door slamming shut behind him. Furious, Haseo crossed his arms over his chest, refusing to chase after the blue-headed steam gunner. Once upon a time he might have, but not now.

Standing there, alone, the quiet choir singing, the grey-haired male began to think. He processed through the conversation that he just had, trying to analyze it. _'The Eight Phases of Morganna? Both_ _Shino and Atoli will be saved if I gather them?'_ It sounded almost to good to be true. But if that really was the case, then Haseo would do all he could._ 'I'm Skeith, Pi is Tarvos. Kuhn is Magus,_ _Endrance is Macha. Then there's Atoli... So three left,'_ the boy concluded, _'Fine. I'll go along with_ _your story for the time being, Ovan.'_

"But I won't forget!," he snarled out loud, his voice reverberating off the walls. His earlier anger was back full force again, the sharp stab of betrayal twisting in his gut, as he slipped back to memories of his early days in **The World**. "How could you?! You abandoned us!!"

Clicking his jaw shut, the Adept Rogue stomped out of Hulle Granz and back to town. Then he quickly went off to an area to kill some monsters. He really needed to blow off some steam!

**

* * *

**

Sender: Silabus

**Subject: We can move!**

_Haseo!  
__Did you see the **Demon Palace Emperor Bonuses** email yet? It looks like we can move to Dol Dona's home for intermediate level guilds. I can't believe it!  
__Gaspard and I are about to go check out the new home. Would you like to come along? Come on, let's celebrate together!  
__It's the first time for the both of us to go to Dol Dona, so we're really excited!  
__Oh, yeah!  
__Dol Dona has a Quest Shop too!  
__I can't wait to see what kinds of quests it has!_

_The new home is way in the back of Dol Dona, so be careful not to get lost._

_Okay, we'll be waiting for you there!_

* * *

He had just finished killing another batch of monsters a couple levels stronger than he was, when he had gotten the quiet beep and a small message popped up on his screen, notifying him to a new email. Still upset, but not in the mood to just mess around anymore, Haseo logged off and opened his inbox. The muscles in his back relaxed when he read who the sender was, his thoughts drifting away to his brunette guild member.

Due to the fact that Silabus would be waiting for him, the teen hurried back into **The World**, heading over to the new town. The first thing that hit him about Dol Dona was how warm and festive it was. Unlike Mac Anu, which was always stuck at twilight, and Lumina Cloth, wrapped up in eternal night, Dol Dona was a burst of bright sunlight, crystal seas and lush greenery. Like being in the tropics.

Haseo jogged down the dirt path, opening the gate that led into the heart of Dol Dona. He spared a glance, taking in the setup of shops owned by NPCs and Players alike. Obviously, Dol Dona's Guilds weren't here. Walking forward, Haseo made his way to the opposite side of the clearing, spotting the second path and hurrying onto it. Bird song accompanied him as he walked down the twisting road, the tall walls on either side of him echoing the voices of all the other characters around him. Looking forward to meeting Silabus, Haseo didn't find himself as annoyed with all the background noise as he would have been on a normal basis.

Finally spotting the Guild, the Adept Rogue increased his pace, excitement bubbling in his chest. It had only been a day, but he already missed the brunette. Silabus... the warm male was the figure that roamed his dream, keeping him from the rest he needed. Highschool was hard if you didn't get enough sleep. Not that Haseo cared that much... He spent most of his time trying to solve the problems with AIDA in **The World** anyways when he should have been spending more time on his homework.

But then that would mean no Silabus. The black player didn't think he could actually stand going a day without seeing the blade brandier at least once. Hearing the green-clad man's voice was enough to relieve any tensions that the teen had.

Haseo came to a stop at the Guild doors, pulling out his key and watching slightly surprised -though he really shouldn't have been- when the doors opened for them. _'Damn...'_, Haseo thought, walking inside. Their guild...it was so awesome.

He must have said that out loud because Canard's mascot appeared out of thin air, oinking in agreement. "Yes! Your guild renewal has been completed! Now even a giant nose-hair like yourself can use this grand facility to its fullest, oink! Be grateful, oink!," Death Grunty chirped.

'_Punk!!...Man he really pisses me off!'_ Haseo grit his teeth, placing his hands on his hips to keep himself from strangling the stupid pig-cow thing. His frustration melted away when Silabus and Gaspard came into sight, the pair smiling broadly at the Adept Rogue.

"Congratulations!," Silabus cheered. His smile dazzled Haseo, and the teen felt his mouth go dry at the vision of a pleased brunette. "Canard's finally escaped being an entry-level guild!"

"It, it's almost so grand. I can't relax 'cause I'm so excited," Gaspard piped up. The beast's pink cheeks were plump with obvious joy, his eyes squinted in happiness. Haseo couldn't help but smile. These two...they always eased him a little bit. Red orbs shifted over to the quiet blade brandier, and the teen had to fight down a blush. Especially Silabus, he noted. He could never be tense around the older male...well, at least not tense with anger that is.

Unsure of what to do now, Haseo shifted on his feet, content to just stare at the green-clad player if that was all that was going to happen. As if coming out of thought, Silabus straightened up, snapping his fingers. "Oh, that's right!," he cried. The warm amber eyes turned to the Adept Rogue, shining brightly as they looked up at the grey-haired male. Haseo swore his heart stopped, all the blood flowing southwards. "Hey, Haseo, let's go to the Quest Shop!"

"Come on, let's go!!," Gaspard agreed. Shrugging, and hiding a growing smile, Haseo turned around. Silabus and Gaspard made small noises of joy, hurrying past their guild master and outside like they were only in the third grade. The Terror of Death watched them go on ahead, and had to pull his hand back to his side. The one that had reached out to grab for Silabus when he'd rushed past. Haseo frowned. He'd have to do something about this attraction of his.

* * *

Maybe agreeing to a quest wasn't such a great idea. Haseo wasn't going to deny that it was alright, and he did find himself having fun. But obviously too much fun, if the bulge he was sporting was any indication. The teen hadn't meant to look, but with Silabus constantly bending down to plant the Ohm Devices that Doctor Kepel had given them to use for the quest, bloody eyes found themselves zooming in on green pants tightening around a nice, firm ass.

And that was only the first issue with this quest. Haseo hadn't gone on an adventure with his two guild members in long time, so he couldn't help but constantly step in front of the blows meant for Silabus and Gaspard. Not that it mattered. The Adept Rogue was already stronger than all the monsters in this area, plus the armor he had on nullified all weak attacks He barely got a scratch.

The problem was that Silabus obviously hadn't been in a battle in a while. The brunette's stats were low for this area, so every hit did a fair amount of damage. How could he not fuss when the blade brandier was getting hurt, no matter how much he tried to protect him? Haseo was glad that they were able to use the Beast Awakening when they fought the two robots a second time (those stupid tincans tried to make a comeback after he'd kicked their asses)or his two guild members would have sustained a lot more damage.

Grabbing the Memory Module they were supposed to retrieve, Haseo led his companions to the closest portal, taking them back to town. They went through the process of handing over the required object, Haseo tuning out the NPCs ranting. Finally, Doctor Kepel walked away.

"Well, I guess that's that," Silabus spoke up. Haseo turned to the brunette. The blade brandier kicked a little at the ground, hands sliding behind his back as he beamed up at the grey-haired teen. "Good work, Haseo!"

Haseo blushed a little, nodding his head in acknowledgment at the compliment. Gaspard clasped his hand in front of him, grinning, rocking on the balls of his feet. "See you later, Haseo!" And with that, the dog beast exited the party and headed off somewhere.

Silabus took that as his cue to leave also, exiting the party, and turning to leave. Haseo felt a slight clenching in his gut, and instinctively he reached out for the brunette. His hand touched the other's shoulder, but as he had anticipated, Silabus never noticed. Silabus hadn't even felt his shoulder being touched.

Shaking his head, Haseo dropped his hand. Disappointment nestled in the pit of his stomach as he spun around, walking through the doors to Dol Dona's warp point. Silabus paused on his way back to Canard's guild. A shiver ran through the brunette's body, a strange heat suddenly radiating from his shoulder. He looked to his side, but there was noone there. _'Weird...,'_ Silabus thought, facing back front. He must have imagined someone touching him.

**C.M.D: Yay! Second chapter! It's so hard trying to stay in character... well not with Haseo. Out of all the games I've played, I've never said the same things and/or had the same thoughts as the character before they even said anything. It's creepy, but also kinda cool, that I'm practically on the same wave length with Haseo. ...Maybe I should worry.  
Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Make sure to review and tell me what you think, k? Until next time...!**


	3. Another Knot, Another Tangle

**C.M.D: So... it's been a long time since I last wrote, ne? I apologize a million times. Life takes up too much time, and when you're moving back and forth between places, it's a wonder that you can even unbury your PS2, let alone your games. Anyways, I'm back -for the most part- and since there's not much happening in the HaseoSilabus fanfiction field (a sad, sad revelation), I don't think too many people will hate me for not getting the next chapter out fast. But since it has been about 2 years almost from my last update, let me just make some acknowledgments. Thank you very much for reviews: Artifical Dreams, aster4jaden, Syek, Blau, NeoFio and anony1. Each time I tried to write this chapter out, I came and re-read your guys' reviews. They were my only motivation. And thanks to anyone else who may be reading this. You don't review, but I still get numbers on my hit page. The results give me some hope that this fanfic isn't a complete waste of my time.**

***Chapter 3: Another Knot, Another Tangle*  
**

Silabus counted the items in his inventory, selecting a large portion of them and placing them on Canard's shelf. He watched for a minute, double-checking that they downloaded into the guild's inventory. While waiting, the brunette scanned through the rest of the items, trying to get an idea of today's merchandise. Already, spots had been filled up with weapons and various healing spells and potions, courtesy of their Guildmaster. Silabus chuckled and closed Canard's inventory screen, giving the Death Grunty a pat on the head as he headed for the door. Haseo always had a habit of acting so hard-done by being Canard's head, but the Adept Rogue still took the time to make sure their Guild's stats were up to standards. This made the brunette smile, because he was certain that deep down his friend was a sweet boy -albeit a little shy.

"I wonder how he's doing...," the blade brandier pondered to himself.

Recently, Haseo had been busy again, and he was hardly seen by Silabus anymore. The ex-PKKer always dropped by the Guild at the beginning and the end of the day; restocking Canard's inventory and logging in some new points made on the Guildmaster's various tasks. Even if the brunette made time to talk to teen, he'd still just miss the other. He'd thought about sending an email to the Adept Rogue many times, but even before Haseo had been recruited into Canard, the male had always been a bit solitary; kept elsewhere because of more important things.

It was this reasoning that Silabus always deleted his messages before sending them, deciding in good time Haseo would make some time for him and Gaspard; taking them on a quest or perhaps some leveling up. Still... it seemed that Haseo was alot busier these days. They hardly saw him anymore...

Gaspard, too, seemed to have fallen into a bit of a funk for a little bit. He greatly adored the Terror of Death and had been sad that their friend wasn't able to spend time with them. The brunette had tried to explain to the boy that everyone had their own agendas in **The World**, and it seemed that Haseo had become necessary in one of the many operations going on in the game. But it didn't appease the dog-beast. Silabus was almost worried that his younger friend would sink into depression, but things went back to normal as Piros came into the picture.

Now Gaspard had a new friend to play with, and the boy was quite content going on missions with the Lord Partizan. Speaking of which... Gaspard had emailed him earlier that day, saying that he had plans with Piros and that he'd be unable to cover the Guild's shop. The shop was where Silabus was supposed to be heading to now, actually, but it seemed the brunette had gotten lost in his thoughts. Blushing with embarrassment, he looked around himself, noticing that he still stood just outside of Dol Dona's guild doors; people passing by him every couple minutes. Hoping that people thought his computer was lagging or that he'd stepped away from his desk (either was less humiliating than simply zoning out while logged into **The World**), Silabus hurriedly made his way up the hill and to Dol Dona's Marketplace square.

He opened up shop for a bit, selling items here and there. Many of his customers looked for weapons and armor, a few daring to ask him if a blade or a null-guard had been used by Haseo. Silabus could only smile brightly and honestly reply that he didn't know for sure, but that the items had been put in stock by the Adept Rogue. It seemed to be enough for the players and soon Silabus was down to a quarter of his original weapon items.

_'Haseo sure is popular,' _the blade brandier thought, starting to pack up shop. It was still early in the afternoon but he wanted to get to the shop down in Mac Anu. It was a slight issue, having their Guild moved to the new town, 'cause now time had to be split between being in Dol Dona and Mac Anu. Still, Silabus preferred Mac Anu (after all, the beginners couldn't get any further than the city of Eternal Twilight, and Canard's business was to assist all Noobs) and he quickened his pace to make sure he was in Mac Anu for the five o'clock rush.

_'I guess most people know him from the tournament.'_ Silabus continued his thoughts about the Adept Rogue as he accessed Mac Anu through Dol Dona's warp gate. _'But... he was widely known before joining Canard,' _the blade brandier noted, remembering Haseo's ever infamous nickname, "Terror of Death".

Indeed, Haseo's cold, ruthless PKKer days had led to a lot of chatter about the teen- but wasn't his gossip made in fear? Any fame the Adept Rogue might of accumulated back then was nothing more than infamy. During the Demon Palace Tournament, it had been apparent that Haseo's presence was unwanted, and the male was clearly disliked by many members of the audience. But things had changed quite a bit after Haseo won the tournament. Yes, people still didn't like the Adept Rogue but those were only PKers who carried old grudges and a handful of others who disagreed with Haseo's thug-like past. More people had warmed up to the teen, especially after realizing that approaching the teen wasn't entirely impossible. Now the silver-haired rogue was admired and adored by thousands of players in **The World**.

Silabus focused back onto the world around him as everything came into view once more, the warp depositing him into Mac Anu's Warp Chamber. Unlike Dol Dona, the room was terribly crowded. Players were logging in and out; new-timers showing up left, right and center. The flush of activity surrounded Silabus, making him beam in contentment. Mac Anu would always be his favourite place in the world: it was the entry point of people everywhere; the energy of excitement and passion for a good game traveling with them, to be born in this sunset-filled town. Listening with a cheerful ear, Silabus made his way through the room, touching the doors and watching as they swung open for him; stepping into the faint light of the riverside city.

He made his way to the marketplace square, leisurely walking; and when he arrived at his reserved spot, setting up shop. Around him, other guilds were opening up or restocking their inventory, having already been opened for hours. The blade brandier waved in greeting to a trio of the Medic Union, the rolly-polly beast characters waving back at him.

An hour into opening, and Silabus was already low on items. Some of the other shops had cleaned out for the day, and the guild members were busy packing; making plans to while away the rest of the afternoon. The brunette glanced at them intermediately, secretly wishing he could go out on a quest too. But he smiled and turned his attention back to his wares. After all, managing the Guild's store was fun in its own way.

Something slapped against the table, causing Silabus to jump, focusing on the female steam gunner looming over his table. "Tell me you still have some Gun Hongs!," she shouted.

Taken back, it was a moment before Silabus shook his head, giving the girl an apologetic smile. "I only had one, and it was bought earlier."

The player sighed heavily, sliding to the ground in defeat. "Man... and I've been looking for that all over the place," she bemoaned, sighing again. "My friend said you had it today, and I rushed over here so fast... Man, what a waste."

Silabus felt sorry for the girl, and thought about how he could help her. "If you don't mind waiting, I can ask my Guildmaster to search the fields for another one," he suggested.

The gunner perked up at this, turning hopeful eyes to the brunette. "Really?," she asked. The blade brandier nodded, smiling brightly. The happiness of others was contagious. "Oh, great! Thanks; you're so awesome... um..."

"Silabus."

"...Silabus," the girl whispered quietly to herself. "Hey, don't I know you from somewhere?"

Silabus cocked his head to the side, trying to remember if he had ever met this steam gunner before, but nothing came to mind. "It's you, isn't it!," the female insisted. "You're Silabus, the blade brandier from the Demon Palace Tournament, right?"

Ah, so that's what she meant. Silabus nodded his head. "Yes, I did play a couple matches."

"With Haseo, right? The Terror of Death?," the steam gunner added.

"Yes," the brunette again nodded his head.

"Wow...," the other player breathed in awe. "Does this mean you know Haseo?"

"He's our Guildmaster," Silabus replied proudly. The girl again was amazed. "We, Canard, help all new players to **The World**."

The steam gunner canted her head to the side, sitting back on her haunches, fingers gripping the table. "You help Noobs, huh?," she muttered to herself. "Would you be willing to go with me on a mission?," she asked sweetly, peering at the man with big eyes.

"Of course," Silabus nodded without hesitation. "Here's my member address." The computer pinged as his e-card was handed to the girl, and with an excited squeal, another ping as she too gave Silabus her member address. She jumped to her feet, the very air of joy.

"Thanks so much Silabus!," she shouted. "I'll definitely be calling on you to form a party soon. Bye, bye Silabus :3!" She patted him on the shoulder and ran off, giggling merrily.

Slowly, Yuichi reached up and pulled the M2D headset off.

He blinked, eyes re-adjusting to reality, looking around himself curiously. When that steam gunner had patted his shoulder just now... there had been no sensation. No warmth, no pressure, no sense of heaviness or sting. Just as things should of been. After all, **The World **was an online game. You could get so enthralled within it, that you were able to feel things on an emotional plane... but even technology wasn't that advanced that data could become something physical. Shaking his head, the young man put his headset back on, returning to Mac Anu and his Guild shop.

But he couldn't shake the confusion of his shoulder being touched.

* * *

Haseo grumbled quietly to himself, somewhat torn between a decision he was making. Right now, he stood off to the side of the NPC of Lumina Cloth's registration desk, debating. Earlier in the week, he had been stalked down by Alkaid and dragged out on a mission, where the girl had expressed her deepest concerns for her idol and friend, Sirius. From what she had told him, it sounded like the Holy Palace Emperor had been infected with AIDA as well. He'd thought about it for half a day, before deciding that he would definitely take Sirius on, and get rid of the AIDA infecting the man.

The problem was he wouldn't be able to do it without signing up for the next tournament, which he'd received an email just yesterday would be taking place again soon. And on his way to registration, he ran into Yata's snippy go-to: Pi. The woman had explained that Sirius was infected with AIDA (no duh! The Rogue already knew that) and was then admonished about involving outsiders in the tournament. "Myself and Kuhn will be entering with you," Pi had said, leaving no room for argument. Haseo could see the reason behind that, but he refused to be ordered around.

Plus, he had promised that Alkaid could join him. She didn't know about AIDA... but Sirius was her friend, and she had come to him for help. He couldn't just leave her out. So, brushing Pi off, he had continued on to the registration desk, now stuck. Looking back on it, he wasn't proud of the methods he used to win the Demon Palace Tournament, and as little as he cared about the crown, it just wasn't his to give up. Everyone who'd been a part of Team Haseo were also titled to the winnings... including Silabus. Would the brunette be upset if Haseo threw away their title and status to enter the Holy Palace Tournament?

Haseo frowned and glared at the space between his feet. Truthfully, Silabus would probably smile and say it was no big deal, that he'd done it for fun; but Haseo would still be bugged about it. He didn't want to just randomly take back something he had given to the blade brandier... At the same time, he knew he had to. AIDA was bigger than anything; and anyone. He needed to stop AIDA and destroy Tri-gun. Or how else would Haseo be able to save Shino and the rest of the Lost Ones?

* * *

Yuichi's eyes blinked at the screen, re-reading the email. It said that his Demon Palace Emperor entitlements had just been forfeited by his team leader. For a moment, the college student wondered why his younger friend would do such a thing without discussing this with him- or at least informing him of the changes! He had to shake his head and bury the tiny feeling of sadness that welled up inside of him. Haseo was his Guildmaster; he always made sure that Canard and its members were good, even if he did it from a distance. The Adept Rogue probably had a good reason for doing this as well; probably another one too, for why he couldn't even email the blade brandier Silabus.

Yuichi exhaled softly, clicking back to his inbox and seeing the last new entry. Already it seemed M3rri, the steam gunner female from earlier that day, had emailed him for a mission. The young man smiled, and hit reply. He'd have to mention to Gaspard that he'd be helping a Noob tomorrow so that the dog-beast could cover the duties of Canard for him.

"Oh... I almost forgot...," he muttered to himself as he hit 'send'.

He needed to email Haseo and ask if the silver-haired youth wouldn't mind going to another dungeon and getting a Gun Hong. He opened a new message page, and sat, fingers poised over the keyboard. Yuichi remained that way for a couple minutes, before he sighed softly, scratching the area behind his ear before signing out of his email. He just couldn't do it. He'd try again tomorrow, when he was in **The World**. For now, he needed to get some sleep.

* * *

He never knew what to think. He tried to keep it from his mind, only reminding himself about AIDA, but he had no control of his thoughts when he slept. He kept envisioning the tournament battles, with unprotected Alkaid on his left, infected Atoli on his right; thinking 'How can I hope to fight Sirius like this?' His doubts chased the teenager all around his mind, never resting because it was night; no, indeed they increased in his moments of unwilling relaxation. He kept replaying the battles for the Demon Palace tournament. He tore through dozens of players, abusing his epitaph, not caring that he was putting innocent people at risk when he used Skeith. Would he do it again?

Would he find himself too weak carry on, and thus, take the easy way out? Hurt regular players with an avatar that far exceeded their own and was admittedly dangerous? He'd like to say no, but the teen knew he couldn't be entirely confident in his words. He had succumbed once... who was to say that he wouldn't again?

Here, the dreams got worse. As if tiring of his mundane worries, his subconscious connected to the other things that usually dwelled in his mind. Because of guilt, the representation of Silabus had been forced aside, but during his dreaming, the blade brandier returned stronger than ever. Where warm hands would have enveloped him; amber eyes smile at him and plump lips would have kissed him, was instead the image of the betrayed. "Why?," this Silabus would bemoan. Accusations and confused pleas would come from the brunette's mouth; the blade brandier tormented by the fact that he cared for others more than he cared about the brunette.

It struck him hard, and the teen felt sick with guilt, despite knowing that this was all a dream. He did not like the image of Silabus hurt and crying, whether it was real or not. And if he tried to reach for Silabus during this nightmare, it wasn't his hand that he saw reaching for the green-clad male. It was a large, black hand, with curved claws for fingers. Beneath the shadow of his palm, Silabus disappeared, heralded by the broken song loop of Piros singing 'He of fair eyes! He of fair eyes!'

Ryou knew what it all meant, sitting up in bed as sunlight spilled into his room, ushered in by the coming of dawn. As if poking fun at him, the email remained open on his computer screen, where he had left it before going to sleep the night before. Atoli... one of the people that came to harass him as he dreamed. She was the reason why he had been carefully avoiding everyone in **The World **the past couple days. But as the teen rose up out of bed, he could tell, by his yawn and heavy limbs, that he couldn't keep running away from this forever. He would have to tell Silabus sooner or later about the tournament, or subject himself to self-forced ostrasization from the brunette.

This was a day that the player Haseo wasn't looking forward to.

**C.M.D: Short? Yeah, this chapter was a little short, for a comeback. But at least it's an update, right? Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed it in either case. If not, complain in a review! And if you liked it, review anyways! That's all for now. Ja ne!**


	4. First Fight

**C.M.D: Nothing makes me happier than the knowledge that you guys love this story and have been eagerly waiting an update. Well, here is another one! And only a couple months afterward too! But before that... THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING: ElvaUkitakeAivaStein****, Green Tempest****, evilkat23**** and ben4kevin.**** It continuously amazes me that people are actually reading this fanfic. You'd think I'd be over it by now...  
Anyways, hope you enjoy the update!**

***Chapter 4: First Fight*  
**

_Let's go together_, she had said.

That's what the email Atoli wrote to him had said: that they should go and discuss his forsaking of the Demon Palace Tournament Title to the members of Canard. She had stressed the_ together_ part. Frankly speaking, Haseo did not want to have to face such a predicament; let alone have his ridiculous fan club shadowing him during the confession. He thought he'd be smart and sign in quickly, go down to the guild and get everything settled -without Atoli.

At least, that was his plan.

The blonde must have had some sort of tracker on him or something, because in the couple of minutes it took for him to sign in and warp over to Dol Dona's Guilds, there she was; smiles and everything, standing right outside the doors. To save himself from the retort he no doubt would have made at this moment, Haseo wisely ignored the cleric's greeting and promptly headed into Canard, Atoli close on his heels. Silabus and Gaspard were both inside when they entered, chatting merrily with the guild's mascot, Death Grunty. At the newest arrivals, they both turned and faced their friends. The smile on the brunette's face made heat rush from the top of Haseo's head and all the way down to the bottom of his toes; wrenching his gut painfully at the same time.

"Hey Haseo!," Silabus greeted warmly. Gaspard waved manically from the blade brandier's side. A nudge from Atoli, and Haseo was taking a deep breath; steadying himself.

"Listen... it's about the whole canceling-the-emperor thing...," he started, swallowing uneasily at the two equally blank stares he received. "I'm, uh... I'm sorry I didn't talk to you first."

Silabus chuckled lightly, raising a hand and placing it behind his head. "Hey, don't worry about it Haseo. It's really no big deal. Besides, I've had plenty of being an emperor by now!"

Haseo exhaled sharply. "Also...," he added, "I'm sorry about going off and deciding on the team members by myself..."

The brunette's smile just seemed to broaden in the face of the Adept Rogue's apology. "Oh, don't worry about a thing!," he replied. "I've experienced enough tournaments by now. Besides, I'm pretty sure that supporting new players at Canard is much more up my alley."

Haseo crossed his arms over his chest, trying his best not to scream. He loved Silabus; this was true. But he couldn't stand how easily the brunette just let everything slide right off him! Did Silabus really not care about him giving up their title? Did his actions mean so little in the blade brandier's life? Haseo could only grit his teeth, swallowing his harsh words.

"Haseo!," Gaspard piped up from Silabus' side. "Is it true? Did you really quit being the emperor? That's such a shame."

This small admission was the final straw for the silver-haired youth. He turned on his heel and immediately stormed out of the guild, leaving his slightly flabbergasted friends behind. The Adept Rogue stomped over to the closest warp gate, gnashing his teeth angrily. He knew he was being irrational as he huffed and fumed, making his way to Dol Dona's gate and scaring multiple players along the way; but he just couldn't help but feel partially jealous. Gaspard, the sweet, rotund beast was even able to confess his own feelings at the thought of Haseo giving up the Demon Palace Title, yet Silabus had no opinion beyond 'don't worry about it'. Haseo had to pause for a moment, glaring at the whirring blue gates of Dol Dona's warp arena. Aside from Silabus' nonchalance about this turn of events, something else was upsetting the teen. Something that made himself disgusted.

Because, standing here, noticing finally that no one had actually bothered to chase after him; the Adept Rogue realized that what he had really wanted from this 'talk' was for Silabus to breakdown and let the teenager to comfort him, pushing their relationship beyond guild members and partial friends.

_Disgusting._

* * *

Silabus watched Haseo storm out of Canard, and felt his knees go weak with anxiety. For a moment, he entertained the idea of chasing after his friend, but the blade brandier decided against it. He knew for a fact that the Adept Rogue wouldn't appreciate the act, for one. Secondly, he didn't think he could leave without it looking too suspicious to his other two friends. Despite being slightly thrown off by Haseo's sudden anger, Atoli and Gaspard had recovered fairly quick and were chatting enthusiastically now. They did not seem as concerned about Haseo as he did...

Silabus sighed lightly under his breath, stepping back a few paces and sitting on the bench beside Death Grunty. The little cow-pig cocked his head at the brunette, his red eyes curious. The green-clad male could only smile at the NPC, closing his eyes and resting his chin in his hands.

_"I'm, uh... I'm sorry that I didn't talk to you first."_

Haseo's words filtered into his mind; Silabus found it hard to block them. He opened his eyes, staring at the ground beneath his feet. The plush, red carpet under his brown boots reminded him a little of Haseo's eyes. It must of been hard for the teen to approach him and explain things as best as he could. The brunette couldn't have made it easy, constantly brushing off the silver-haired male's words. But what else was he to do? Silabus's stomach roiled uneasily, and for a frightening moment, he thought he was going to cry.

It was stupid he knew, but it had really hurt reading that CC Corp email and finding out that his Guild Leader had revoked their Tournament Title. The title that they had worked hard for,_ together_. He was just starting to put it out of his mind when Haseo had to strut into Canard -with Atoli on his arm no less!- and apologize to his guild members. It brought back his feelings of confusion and greater disappointment; shaking the foundations of his self-esteem and making him experience something akin to self-worthlessness. Silabus did not like feeling those kind of emotions... he did not even like the thoughts that were starting to circulate in his mind. The only thing he could do then was smile and shrug off anything that came his way; even if that included a strained, heart-felt apology from a dear friend.

"Silabus? Hey, Silabus!"

The brunette snapped back to attention, staring at the two players before him. Gaspard was holding his hands before him self-consciously and Atoli was looking just a touch worried. "Is everything alright?," the cleric asked, in that sweet voice of hers.

He had done it again. He had gotten lost in his thoughts while still playing **The World**. Silabus smiled widely, nodding his head to the girl's question. "Quite alright!," he chirped, getting to his feet. "Just stepped away for a moment. Did I miss anything?"

"Oh, I see," Atoli replied, smiling gently at the brunette. "No, nothing. We were just beginning to wonder why you were so silent. As I was telling Gaspard, we're really sorry that Haseo didn't consult you first on this matter. But it was a last-minute decision for him; and it was too late to email you at the time. I hope you understand."

"No worries," Silabus said again. Inside, he cringed at his own choice of words. It looked like 'No worries' was becoming his new motto. "Well, since we're all here anyhow, shall we go on a quest?"

Atoli's smile grew at the invitation and the cleric promptly accepted. Gaspard frowned, puzzled, for a couple seconds longer before he finally broke out into a grin himself and professed his joy at the idea. Silabus breathed a sigh of relief on the inside.

* * *

A whole day of monster fighting and AIDA hunting; and Haseo still felt no better by the end of the day. Grudgingly, because he realized if he stayed up any longer he wouldn't be able to get up the next day for school, the Adept Rogue finally submitted to the situation and signed out. As he was closing his pages for the day, he noticed that a new email was sitting, unread, in his inbox.

It was from CC Corp.

The date of the first tournament match had been posted.

* * *

The lights of the arena sparkled through the eternal night sky of Lumina Clothe, brightening the dark city just a tad. Along the way, between the Emperor palace and the arena, players walked the lamp-lit streets, chatting merrily. Many were on their way inside for the Holy Palace tournament that was to take place that day; their excitement was palable. For not only was this the beginning of a new tournament- and hence, a chance for Emperor wanna-be's to gain the title- but this was also the return of the legendary Terror of Death. A match like this couldn't be missed if the infamous PKKer, turned Demon Palace Emperor, was fighting.

As these eager patrons filtered into the arena stands, they broke out into fast whispers. For who should be standing nonchalantly by the registration desk but the very Haseo himself. With a traditional scowl on his face, the Adept Rogue lounged against the counter; waiting it seemed. And waiting he was. Having finished school and his homework but a few minutes before, Haseo had logged onto **The World** immediately, hurrying over to Lumina Clothe. The opening battle of the Holy Palace Tournament was to happen today, and he was one of the first teams to compete. A sort of impatient anxiety had come over Haseo then, because he knew that winning this battle meant getting one step closer to AIDA and saving all the victims lost because of it. He itched to start the fight; unfortunately, he couldn't do so until his team members arrived.

Having already sent them the invite, Haseo could feel his patience wane further. From down the street, there was the blue glow of the warp gate. The silver-haired player could only hope it was one of the girls. And thankfully it was; both of them actually! Alkaid and Atoli hurried down the street, an eager grin on the redhead's face; a more subdued look of resolve on the cleric's. As they got closer, Haseo quickly dived into his menu and added them to his party. The girls accepted the invite, and at the satisfactory ping, the Adept Rogue turned and faced the NPC at the registration desk. With a smile, the red-clad female put him down as signed in, and gestured for the teen to enter through the green telelportation point on her right. Registration done, Haseo turned back to his teammates as they pulled to a stop in front of him.

"Hello Haseo!," greeted Atoli.

"Hey!," came Alkaid's hello.

Haseo nodded at them both, pausing for a moment to stare at Atoli. The days seemed to be getting worse for her. The data around her hand kept chipping off like fluorescent snowflakes; and she was favouring her right arm more. Though she didn't know it, Haseo also noticed how, when her attention wasn't being drawn to something, Atoli's happy expression would drop the slightest and her eyes would fall to her disintegrating hand. Knowing all this made the Adept Rogue's stomach roil uneasily, and his new-found worries -that Atoli would end up a Lost One, just like Shino- to come to the forefront.

"Atoli...," he started. Both girls perked up at his voice. "I'm sorry for always using you when it's convenient."

The cleric blushed embarrasedly, shifting on her feet nervously. Her smile though was the opposite of what her body was expressing. "Not at all...," she replied. "I'm sorry for forcing you to invite me onto your team."

Beside her, Alkaid broke out into a cheshire grin, crossing her arms over her chest and popping out one hip. "Hmmm... Is this girl something special to you, Haseo?"

To this, and Atoli's apology, Haseo wisely ignored both comments. He could already feel a headache coming on. Fighting the temptation to massage his temples, the Adept Rogue tried not to loose his patience with his two female companions. As he expected, Atoli jumped at the taunt, clasping both her hands in front of her.

"Alkaid..."

Haseo exhaled at the cleric's horrified whine, scratching at the back of his head irritatingly. "Would you quit with the screeching already?," he said. He avoided Alkaid's cocky grin, and Atoli's teary-eyed, red-flushed face; knowing that this was an issue that he didn't want to go in. When it came to couples within **The World**, he did not want to hear about the matching of him and Atoli. Especially not when he had someone else in mind... "Let's go."

Turning around, he headed for the green teleportation gate; Alkaid and Atoli following at his heels.

* * *

The stands were packed. People filled the seats, shouting and chatting loudly, even as the lights brightened out on the arena; the large screen flickering to life. Silabus clasped his hands tightly in his lap; the Arena Announcer's words white-noise in his ears. His stomach was doing flip-flops, and for the life of him, the brunette couldn't recall why he was here in the first place. He didn't approve much of the arena, and would have much rather been out meeting Noobs and going on safe, fun missions in one of the fields. Yet here he was, neglecting Canard duties to watch players fight each other for a silly Emperor title.

The cheering grew louder as the teams were warped onto the field, and beside him especially, the noise was near deafening. Silabus suddenly realized someone was shaking him, and turning to his right, he was surprised to see Gaspard. That's when he remembered; that the shadow warlock had dragged him to Lumina Clothe, insistent that they watch Haseo's match. The dog-beast beside him could only be described as trembling with excitement, his large eyes even wider with anticipation. "Look Silabus, look! There's Haseo!"

Following his friend's index finger, the brunette saw Haseo disappear into a warp again; reappearing onto the arena floor, with Alkaid and Atoli by his side. Though he didn't entirely wish to, Silabus felt his own heart begin to race; Gaspard's excitement rubbing off on him. "Okay, okay, Gaspard! I'm watching."

The rotund boy finally stopped shaking the blade brandier's arm, turning his full attention to the match. "Go Haseo!," he screamed as the Adept Rogue lunged across the arena, targeting in on the opposing team's leader. Alkaid was a quick step behind the teen; Atoli dancing around the edges, offering healing spells and acting as defense for her teammates.

Silabus inched closer in his seat, feeling shivers run down his spine. He had never seen Haseo fight before, not in this sense at least. When they went out in a party to a field, there was never any time to sit back and view his friend's fighting skill. Even the last time they had fought together, in the arena, the brunette had been too focused on his opponent to keep a clear eye on what Haseo was doing. But now, sitting in the stands and watching his friend fight... to say the least, the experience was greatly different. Haseo was amazing! The way he dodged and countered each blow that came his way; dancing into the enemy's guard and striking soundly with his dual blades.

Silabus felt his pulse pick up, his throat turning raw as he screamed his own encouragements to the air alongside Gaspard. Despite his earlier feelings -the unsettling depression he felt from Haseo's actions a few days beforehand- the blade brandier couldn't help but want all the best for his friend. And with each clang of sharp-edged blades, the urge to be up there beside the Adept Rogue -among the flurry of attacks, the screams and cheers of the audience at his back; Haseo by his side as they fought hard, trying to win- grew greater and greater; until Silabus was up on his feet, clapping roariously as the battle ended. The announcer was talking again, straining his voice even over the microphone, as he tried to wrap up events. Haseo stood cockily in the middle of the arena, scanning the crowds quickly. For a moment, Silabus thought the Adept Rogue's red eyes lingered on his area a few seconds longer; but the teen was turning to his teammates a second later, as they were warped out of the arena and back to the waiting rooms.

"Come on, Gaspard," Silabus said, a little hoarsely. "Let's go."

The dog-beast followed obligingly, a smile on his pudgy cheeks, humming happily to himself. As they neared the exits though, Gaspard decided to speak. "Hey Silabus, you're not angry at Haseo anymore... are you?"

Silabus blinked at the strange question, stopping in place and turning to face his friend. The younger boy was blinking up at the brunette curiously. "W-what makes you think that-?"

"You seemed a little upset when Haseo came to apologize yesterday," Gaspard explained. "Like, what Haseo did, without talking to you first, really hurt you. Did it Silabus? And well, I thought... 'I don't want my two best friends to be mad at each other', so that's why I asked you to come with me to the arena today. Because I knew if you missed Haseo's first fight, you'd be angry at yourself later on."

Silabus could only feel surprised as Gaspard played with his thumbs, staring down at his feet; red with embarrassment. How had the shadow warlock known...? Getting over his initial shock, the brunette bent down, staring into his friend's brown eyes. "You're right, Gaspard," the blade brandier smiled kindly. "I would have been upset if I had missed Haseo's first match. Thank you for noticing."

This perked the boy right up; for he tossed his head back and laughed good-naturedly. "Does this mean, you're not angry anymore?"

"Yep!," Silabus nodded. "I wasn't too angry to begin with, but I'm certainly not anymore." Hearing this, Gaspard flung himself at the older male, wrapping his arms around the brunette's wiry waist. Silabus chuckled at the dog-beast's actions, returning the hug warmly, ignoring some of the strange looks other players were giving them.

"We should throw a party or something for Haseo," Gaspard started, pulling back, "To celebrate him winning his first match."

"That's a good idea," Silabus agreed. "And we could hold it in Canard. We'll invite all of Haseo's friends, and you Gaspard, get to plan it. That sound like fun?"

The boy nodded vigorously, chuckling again. Silabus couldn't help but to laugh along, a smile stretched wide on his face. Straightening up, he turned to the exits once more. Today had turned out to be a good day. "Come on, let's get out of here."

* * *

"Hey, that was great!," Alkaid said, strutting out from the teleportation portal and onto the main streets of Lumina Cloth. She turned to her companions, grinning widely. "Nice work! Both you!"

Haseo only rolled his eyes at the girl's boastful air; while Atoli mumbled a very embarrassed, but pleased, "Thank you." The Adept Rogue made a distracted sound in the back of his throat; coming to a stop as he glanced at the players passing them by.

"You know... when we fought before..."

Alkaid's voice drew the teen from his thoughts and he turned to the redhead. Alkaid had her eyes screwed shut, her lips stretched tight in a cocky grin; but there was a seriousness about her that Haseo hadn't seen since the time the twin blade had pleaded for his help with Sirius. "I thought you were just a one-man team who didn't care about anyone," the girl was saying. Haseo didn't even bother to roll his eyes at this typical assumption. Many people seemed to think he was an ass. "But now that I've fought beside you, I know that's not the case. You're always thinking about your friends out there."

Haseo blinked in surprise at the ex-Emperor's words. "Friends? Me...?" Well, he did think about his teammates. He needed to after all, but the idea that Alkaid and Atoli were his friends (especially towards Atoli. She was his unwanted stalker-fan) stunned the silver-haired youth. Alkaid, thankfully, was able to brush off his tone of disbelief.

"Yup! I was able to fight with no worries." A small silence followed this admission, before the redhead was shaking her head, placing one hand on her hip and pointing the other at her comrades. "Anway! Let's be sure to win the next fight too, okay? You two better level up before the next CC Corp e-mail arrives, all right?"

Before any of them could respond though, the twin blade spun on her heel and bolted off. Atoli opened her mouth, as if she was going to call Alkaid back, but Haseo immediately turned his attention elsewhere. Once again, his red orbs were scanning the heads of passing players; looking for that one brown, curly ponytail among the throng of PCs. But the arena crowd had trickled down to nothing, leaving only Lumina Cloth's regulars in their place. The Adept Rogue tried not to sigh. When he had glanced Silabus in the stands during his fight -the brunette cheering Haseo on- the teen had felt his heart soar. Especially because he thought that after the Canard fiasco the day before, the blade brandier might not come to see his match. Checking his friend's status on the menu screen, Haseo was disappointed to see that Silabus was already signed out for the day. Deciding that he'd had enough as well, the teen gave Atoli a mumbled farewell and headed for the warp gate; to save his progress and get offline.

* * *

In the darkness behind the arena, orchestrated by the dying cheers of a recent battle, evil plans were being set. A young blonde pressed against a column, watching from afar his idol; feeling fear and jealousy that such a person would be talking to scum. Hidden by the shadows, all three individuals were easy to overlook; their mumbled conversation quickly silenced. But soon the conversation was finished, and a slim woman slipped away leaving her long-haired partner behind. The blonde watched from his hiding place as his idol chuckled darkly to himself, feeling his heart beat erratically in his chest.

A small sigh made its way pass his lips, barely disturbing the night air.

"Lord Sakaki..."

**C.M.D: You'll notice that my style is of the "slow-and steady" variety... Yeah, I'm trying this new thing of building up the relationships more before I rush into situations. I figure this way, you and I can enjoy HaseoxSilabus more. Anywho...  
Confessions at Canard... Seriously, Atoli creeps me the hell out! I log in the game, purposefully intent on not partying with her n going to Canard; yet the stalker's standing right outside the guild doors anyway! Like, jeez man!  
And the arena bit... I was like on cloud nine myself when they were showing people in the stands, and Silabus was there, cheering for Team Haseo. I was like "Awwwwww, he's come to watch Haseo's match~"...I know, super dorky of me.  
Okay, that's mostly it for the ranting this time. Next chapter won't be for a while because I have exams and stuff. I might get some done over the x-mas holidays, but between work and family... that's a BIG maybe... In either case, I hope to have the next chapter up soon. Definitely before half a year is over. In the meantime, feel free to check out any of my HaseoxSilabus fanart on my deviantart account (link is available in my profile) and leave me a REVIEW telling me your thoughts for this chapter. Alright, see you all next time!**


	5. Quests of Power

**C.M.D: Yay! New Chapter for the New Year! And how is everyone enjoying their rabbits? Anyways, glad to have made this chapter live, despite my lack of motivation recently. I hope you guys enjoy it as well, considering the amount of time taken to write it. But before that, it's time acknowledgments. THANK YOU: evilkat23, Artificial Dreams, ElvaUkitakeAivaStein, ben4kevin. You guys are such faithful reviewers~ Virtual cookies for you all! Alright, I'm done with the talking for now; go ahead and read!**

***Quests of Power*  
**

"Surprise!"

Confetti flew up into the air with a resounding bang, twirling to the floor again in rainbow-metallic pieces. Antares cocked his head slightly as the sparkly paper fell all over him, a presumptuous little piece sticking on the very tip of his nose. Scratching at the extending nose of his mask, the man glanced down at the two confused players before him. "Sorry to barge in unexpectedly."

"Uh... no, i-it's okay," said the taller brunette. "W-we were just expecting someone else is all, and... well, umm, who are you?"

"You must be Silabus, huh?," Antares asked, walking further into the guild. The brunette turned to follow the man.

"I am," he answered. "And this is Gaspard," he added, gesturing to the plump dog-beast beside him. The old man stopped in his walk, glancing back at the two players. They wore puzzled expressions still, and wary ones as well.

"Don't worry," Antares assured. "I'm here on good faith and all. That little blondie cleric is a friend of yours, correct? She gave me a pass to get into the place. Besides, I've come to talk of our young Haseo."

Silabus didn't really know who this man was. He was vaguely sure that he had been an emperor at one time or another, but his face hadn't been around on the forums and such recently so it was hard to say. All he knew was that he had expected Haseo to come walking through Canard's doors and not this stranger. Glancing at his friend, Silabus could see that Gaspard looked downright disappointed. It had been tricky, trying to get items that would allow them to have a party here within **The World**, but the pair had managed well enough. Next though was inviting guests, and everyone on their contact lists -that they knew Haseo knew- were all too busy to come or even bother to reply. But, keeping hope, Silabus and Gaspard had decided that a small party between guild members was better anyway. The blade brandier had sent out the short mail to Haseo only a few minutes before... maybe he had been too eager for this congratulatory party. Silabus shook his head of these thoughts, turning his attention back to the strangely masked man when he mentioned Haseo.

"I-is... something wrong?," Silabus asked nervously. The brunette wondered faintly if the Adept Rogue had fallen into a spot of trouble again, and worried for his friend's safety. He shared an anxious look with Gaspard as the silence stretched on, his question unanswered as their unexpected guest wandered about the guild room. A few moments more passed before the old man finally lifted his head from his study of Canard's NPC, making a disgruntled noise in the back of his throat as he turned his focus to the two younger players.

"Wha... no, no," he replied gruffly, stretching. "Nothing like that. No need to fret your pretty little head about the boy -he's quite fine at the moment. No, I'm here for something else." The man paused for a stretch of laughter, making Gaspard 'eep' with fright at the cackle-like sound and duck behind Silabus' legs. The blade brandier wish he could have hidden as well.

Still, he stood straight and put on a brave face as the masked stranger approached him and Gaspard. "A new mission will be opening up soon in the Quest Shop," Antares continued, hands resting on his hips leisurely. "One which our young Haseo will be interested in no doubt. It will be an extension job -it'll allow him to take on another form; the best trait that comes from choosing the Adept Rogue player type. I helped the sport out last time... I won't be able to do so this time around. So I thought that you two might be interested."

Antares stopped just feet away from Silabus, black eyes from behind the mask peering down on the brunette. He swallowed sharply, trying to get his thoughts back on track and process what the old man had said. "A job extension? And you wanted us to...?"_ 'Help?,'_ he pondered, but kept the words back, not entirely sure if that was what the other player was after, and too embarrassed to risk speaking them if it wasn't. Antares managed to catch on well enough all the same.

"Help?," he seemed to smirk behind his mask. "You've got it right, kiddo. Sometimes it takes more than one man to complete a task, and Haseo is gonna need a team he can trust. Are you that team, or should I be looking somewhere else?"

Silabus looked unblinkingly into Antares' eyes, feeling his heart begin to race. So, Haseo was not in trouble... but he would be needing help and soon. The idea brought a rush to the blade brandier's body, adrenaline -no, excitement- pumping through his veins. He was practically trembling at the prospect of helping his silver-haired friend._ 'Finally, I can be of use to Haseo, and Gaspard will be able to have some fun with our Guild leader!'_ Determined, the brunette finally relaxed, losing any unease he had since Antares had walked through their Guild doors, ruining their well-laid surprise party plans.

"How can I help?," Silabus asked, with a smile on his face.

Antares grinned back. "I knew I could count on you kids."

* * *

The teenager slid into his desk chair with a sigh, his hand already on the mouse before his tush had even hit the chair. Once settled, his fingers were flying over the keyboard, opening up a web browser and taking him straight into his email. He easily deleted the messages that were junk, barely even glancing at the sender before he sent it on over to the trash bin. At the end, there was only two emails left, from important senders: CC Corp and Silabus. Grinning to himself, the youth bypassed the admin email, thinking to read it later, and went straight for the other email. He wondered, a little hopefully, what the blade brandier could be emailing him about.

**Sender: Silabus**

**Subject: Job Extend Quest**

_Hi Haseo!  
G, good job at the- I mean, h, how are you?  
No, that's not it... oh, right!  
Congratulations on winning your first match of the tournament!_

_B, by the way.  
I was just looking at the Quest Shop, and it looks like they have a new Job Extend quest._

_Y, y, you're really lucky to have a Job Quest show up now, aren't you.  
Ah ha ha ha._

_S, so, if you'd like, Gaspard and I would be glad to help you out, so, umm, would you like to do the quest together? I, I'll be waiting to hear from you._

* * *

Haseo would have to be lying if he didn't say that Silabus' email sent the Adept Rogue tripping over himself to get to Dol Dona. The teen was literally floating on air as he hurriedly signed into **The World**, accessing the warp gates at speeds that befuddled the other players, who thought that the silver-haired youth had hacked his character to pull off such a feat. The few seconds wait while the transfer took place was enough to let Haseo fantasize about the email. It was so different, and unusual, from what the blade brandier normally wrote -not to mention, the structure of the general public's emails. In comparison, Silabus' seemed almost rushed... as if the brunette had been too embarrassed writing the email that he just had to get it done as soon as possible. A possibility. Especially considering most people would spend their time writing their emails, going back and erasing the things they had decided not to say before the message was ever sent. But Silabus had not taken that time nor luxury, sending a jumbled, disjointed sort of email to the Adept Rogue instead of a nice, cleaned up edition.

Was it really so wrong than for him to picture the older male blushing and squirming in his chair adorably, as he recited the words he was anxiously writing?

The happy buzz Haseo was carrying with him as soon as he finished warping into Dol Dona began to fizzle as his eyes fell directly on the vibrant gold, brown and white samurai player model that was trademark to only one person: Antares. Immediately, the smile faded from the teen's face and he stopped in his tracks just inches from the warp gate.

"Antares, what...," the Adept Rogue grumbled, "What are you doing here?"

The old man looked up from the ground, cocking his head at the teen as if he just noticed that Haseo was there. Haseo was quite sure though that the ex-emperor had been aware of his presence the entire time. "What?," Antares replied back, voice lilting curiously. "Am I no longer allowed to come to Dol Dona when I want?

Haseo sighed almost exasperatingly. "You know damn well that's not what I meant...," he shot back, feeling irritation fester under his skin. Antares did not rise to the teenager's bait, crossing his arms over his chest and fixing the silver-haired youth with a straight look.

"Congratulations on winning the first match!," the old man grinned. "But in order to keep winning in the holy palace tournament, won't you need something more?"

Haseo knew he was gaping. He could just feel his mouth hanging open, to catch flies and leave him looking stupid, but it couldn't be helped he supposed. Antares' constantly shifting attitude kept throwing the teen off, and he was never certain how to respond to the changes. It was one of the reasons why even Antares' presence rankled the Adept Rogue's nerves... Deciding that trying to pursue the old man's wayward track of thought was a pointless endeavor, Haseo shook his head and started walking again. Antares wasn't saying anything anyhow. It took only a couple seconds for the teen to get over his little interaction with the older player and remember that there was a beautiful (and hopefully, blushing) brunette waiting for him -and by then, Haseo was striding quickly to Dol Dona's main gates. The doors opened at his touch, allowing entrance to the heart of the area's market place to the teen. Haseo's frown returned when he saw that Silabus wasn't waiting for him at Quest Shop like he had expected; a quick trip down to the guild showed the same results. Sighing angrily to himself, the youth wondered back out into the sun-lit afternoon of the tropical island, trying to squash the disappointment he could feel rising. Well, Silabus had sent the email to him... it meant that the blade brandier was expecting to meet up with teen, so he couldn't be far. Checking his contacts, Haseo was relieved to see that both Silabus and Gaspard were online. He sent them a party invite each -Gaspard's short mail coming with a vivid, ecstatic cheer; followed by Silabus' more subdued, pleased reply. Both of their mails soothed Haseo a bit, and the Adept Rogue hurried back over to the Quest Shop to await his fellow guild members.

Any of the excitement that Haseo had been feeling when he had first signed in and gotten Silabus' email had wound down to a simple desire to see the brunette again; so, when Silabus and Gaspard came through the gates together, it was easy to see that the silver-haired youth was pretty mellow. Silent greetings were shared, and feeling somewhat exhausted after the busy day at school and his somewhat disappointingly arrival, Haseo, without another wasted moment, turned to the Quest Shop NPC and selected the Job Extension from the list. There was the mandatory minute wait, as the system registered his request and sent out for the NPC contractor; and shortly, Haseo found himself facing another fat midget wearing what looked like a bronze pot lid on his head, with a large beard and a ginormous purple nose peeking out from under the hat's brim. The NPC cleared his throat gruffly, red-clad arms waving about as he waddled to a stop before the trio.

"So, you've come...," the NPC began, his voice thick and drowsy like that of an aging elder. "I figured it would be time... Why do you seek greater 'power', young traveler?"

_'To save Shino and the other Lost ones,'_ Haseo thought quietly to himself. He had learned ages ago that the NPC's at the Quest Shop had a habit of making long-winded introductory speeches, and survived them by either blocking them out entirely, or interjecting his own sarcastic commentary during the talks. He had been fully intending to block out this NPC's ramblings as well... at least, until he opened up with this 'power' bit...

"Jealousy, pride, sloth...," the midget continued, "'Power' never produces anything good. Do you know this and still desire 'power' nonetheless? Do you still desire the power to crush, to break, to tear apart?"

_'Yes,'_ the Adept Rogue answered silently, his eyes sliding to Silabus, standing on his right. There was much to be done with power.

"If you say you do... **Burning Fallen Seven Sins**," the NPC handed the area code to the silver-haired youth. "Dominate this place with the 'power' you believe in, and obtain the 'symbol'. Should you return successfully, I will let you have my 'true power'. Then be off, young one...!"

The NPC turned about and left with the traditional fanfare, leaving Haseo to arch an eyebrow at the odd behaviour coding written into the NPC contractors. "With the 'power' I believe in...?," he mumbled to himself. Shaking his head, he turned to his guild members. "Anyway, all we need to do is to complete this Area."

"Well then, let's go!," Silabus chirped, beaming brightly at his friends. Gaspard jumped in place beside the brunette. "We're moving out!," the pink-coloured beast shouted, already racing for the gates. Haseo and Silabus followed at a slower pace.

* * *

The area words for the quest took them to a dungeon. Eyeing the moss-strewn walls and dark paths warily, Haseo quickly accessed his items and scanned his inventory. He found suitable armour for both Silabus and Gaspard, gifting the items to them before either could question the teen's stalling. Haseo tried not to blush when Silabus did the most cutest action receiving the Adept Rogue's generosity, before equipping the armour with a heartfelt thank you. After all that was done, Haseo used a Fairy's Orb to get a broader view at the dungeon map and set off into a steady march, hands ready at his broadsword as they moved into the first chamber. The going was slow -a lot of empty chambers and doors that wouldn't unlock unless you answered a bit of game trivia making the process longer- but Haseo kept his thoughts on the quest and took down any monsters without even blinking. It took him a while to realize Silabus and Gaspard were keeping up a steady stream of conversation behind him the entire time. Hitting the second level and entering into the first chamber -with no monsters, unsurprising- Haseo tuned in a little to what the other guild members were saying.

"You know," Silabus mused, looking around the dark area, "The three of us playing together like this reminds me of when we first met."

Gaspard nodded his head. "I bumped into Haseo when I was in town!," he added his own recollection of that day. Haseo glanced at each of them in turn before forcibly turning his head away. He could feel a frown tugging on his own lips again as the two players reminisced. He preferred to forget those _"good ol' days"_... There was much in his past that the present him was not proud of.

"At the time, I never thought that the newbie right in front of us was actually the PKK 'The Terror of Death'!," Silabus continued.

"I asked him how he could be 'The Terror of Death', and still be at level 1?," Gaspard included. Haseo tried to walk forward a few steps but the both of them stayed on his heels. It was irritating, listening to them talk about him as if he wasn't there.

"Yeah, and then you were PKed soon after that," Silabus remembered.

Gaspard nodded his head before shaking it in disbelief. "Wait, really?," he cried in shock, turning to the brunette.

"You were all 'howwwn!' Ah ha ha," Silabus laughed, gesturing the dog-beast's actions that day as he chortled. The sound -which normally made Haseo's very heart soar with its care-free tones- made his blood run cold this time, and he whirled on his comrades, glaring at them. Silabus and Gaspard cowed slightly under the harsh gaze, falling silent.

"You idiots...," the words came hissing out of the Adept Rogue's mouth. "I'm not here to have fun. If you've got time to waste, spend it on improving your fighting skills."

Gaspard visibly flinched at the cruel statement, curling into himself slightly. "...sorry," the child whispered, looking at his feet shamefully. Silabus took a step toward the hurt dog-beast, his own confused, pained orbs on the teen.

"Don't get mad, Haseo," the brunette tried to placate him. "It's... you know...," he sighed softly. "Have fun playing, ok?"

The guilt hit him immediately. Haseo swallowed sharply, turning away from the desperate amber eyes; unable to even contemplate the words that would fix this mess. He hadn't meant to lose his cool and snap on the two players... He just -god, he didn't know what he had meant to do! Shoulders tense, Haseo started marching forward again. "Let's go," he said lowly, approaching the chamber's exit.

After a moment, Silabus and Gaspard began following.

* * *

It took three whole rooms before the blade brandier or the shadow warlock would start talking again. They did though, eventually, first whispering a couple sentences back and forth, until it seemed that Haseo wouldn't yell at them before they started chatting at a regular pace and volume. The silver-haired youth was want to interrupt them this time, feeling guilty about his earlier outburst, even if both of the players were still reminiscing about **The World**. It helped that they weren't discussing him this time round... They reached the third level within minutes, pausing for a moment so Haseo could gather some more health potions out of his guild inventory at the warp gate. Silabus and Gaspard had been holding their own well enough considering the high level of the dungeon, and -he didn't want to brag, _but_- the armour he had given them had helped a lot, but they were still taking a fair amount of damage and Haseo only carried so many potions for himself. Making sure that his teammates were healthy and well supplied again, the Adept Rogue led them off into the first room of the floor; fingers crossed that this quest would be finished soon.

"Hey, do you remember when Haseo became Canard's guild master?," Silabus piped up as they entered the room. Haseo could feel himself tensing as he was brought back into the conversation.

"Oh yeah!," Gaspard chirped. "That was way back when we asked him to run the guild shop for us!"

"Shop Acorn!," Silabus and Gaspard both said at the same time, turning to each other. They broke out into a fit of giggles. Haseo eyed them critically before turning back to the door in front of him. He deposited the amount of chim chims needed to unlock it, trying to keep himself controlled as his guild members continued talking about him. In truth, he remembered that day as well. That was back when he was still very much... detached from the rest of **The World**, hell-bent on destroying the person that had put Shino into a coma. He had resisted that day, but despite his protests he had been ditched at the little stall in Mac Anu's marketplace with best wishes on selling. Even now, Haseo couldn't figure out why he hadn't just up and walked away, leaving the stall unmanned and vulnerable to anyone brave enough to steal the items left there.

"We got to see an unexpected side of him," Silabus reminisced, closing his eyes for a second in memory.

Gaspard crossed his arms over his chest, one finger pawing at his cheek in thought. "What was it that atoli said?," the boy wondered. "'Everyone really does want to treat other people nicely.'" He giggled for a moment. "Or something..."

The mention of Atoli gave spark to his already growing temper. "I'm warning you...," Haseo growled, turning to face the merry pair._ 'Don't talk about her as well... Don't remind me of everything I've failed to do!'_ "Don't make me keep repeating myself! I didn't come here to have fun!"

Gaspard shrunk behind Silabus at the shout, the brunette before him raising his hands weakly. "Haseo...," the blade brandier whispered, and an echo of his words slipped from the dog-beast's mouth as well.

Haseo grit his teeth, hands curling into fists at his side. He couldn't handle this! All these reminders that he had failed, that he wasn't strong enough to protect anyone! He knew he had been terrible in the past, was more conscientious about it than people were aware. From the recesses of his mind, he recalled the bland hospital room; a thin young woman nestled under the sheets, wires connecting to her multiple, bulky machines... and the voice -the harsh, cruel, weeping voice- accusing him, holding him responsible for the girl's comatose state... The Adept Rogue closed his eyes, blocking out the heart-wrenching image of Silabus staring at him frightened and perplexed, feeling the old, unresolved feelings of his own self-loathe and guilt rise up and overtake him once again. "You guys said you wanted to come along, but you've done nothing but talk, talk, talk...," the teen bit out. "You...!" In a rare display of self-control, he swallowed back the curses and hurtful words before they could slip off his tongue. "Fine, whatever," Haseo hissed after a moment, forcing his fingers to uncurl. "I'll do the rest by myself."

He needed to get away.

"Haseo...," came Gaspard's whimper as the Adept Rogue turned away from them, shoulders tense still as he stalked toward the exit. Silabus placed a comforting hand on the child's shoulder, his other clenched at his chest. He watched sorrowfully as the silver-haired youth stormed from the room, abandoning them in this dark dungeon.

"Haseo," Silabus called after the teen. "You always try to take on everything yourself and go it alone... But, all of us here are with you..." Haseo did not stop or slow down, leaving the room quickly. Silabus bit his lip, his eyes falling to the floor. He wasn't even sure the Adept Rogue had heard him...

* * *

His anger carried him through the next six rooms and all the way to the treasure room. Slowing to a stop, Haseo peered into the final chamber, his eyes resting on the floating stone statue hovering over the void, before falling to the treasure chest sitting on the edge of the cliff at the statue's feet. That treasure chest was his goal. "Good," the teen said to himself, voice still thick with anger. "I just have to get the treasure box and I'm set. Alone, this would be easy... No one slowing me down, or nagging me, or pissing me off... Or betraying me..." Haseo trailed off in his ranting, feeling cold, heavy guilt slither its way through his anger and settle in his gut. He had abandoned Silabus and Gaspard, he really had. _But_, a vindictive little voice hissed inside of him, _it was their fault! Talking about things that they don't know about, things better left forgotten... they were just asking for us to ditch them there, like the weaklings they are._ His temper stirred somewhat at the false words, making the teen squash his regret and bury it again quickly. Sticking his nose into the air, the Adept Rogue took the first step into the treasure room, intent on grabbing his reward and getting out of this godforsaken dungeon.

**_Why do you seek power, lonely traveler?_**

Haseo stopped at the voice, looking around the chamber anxiously. His hands were on the hilt of his broadsword, ready to swing should anyone try jumping from the shadows. But no one did, and the strange voice spoke up once again.

_**Only the power you believe in will allow you to unlock the chest.**_

Ah... this was just a pre-recorded message for the quest. Haseo relaxed a smidge, straightening out of his battle stance and letting his one arm drop back to his side. He stared ahead to the treasure chest, just waiting for him to come and open it, the words of the disembodied voice echoing in his mind. "...'Power'...," he mumbled, "The 'power' I believe in..."

Memories, unbidden, surfaced to the forefront of his mind. They pushed and shoved, jostling for his attention. An image of Alkaid shouldered through the rest first, bringing him back to the arena match just a couple days ago. The street lights danced off the girl's red hair, highlighting her flushed face, fresh from a battle they had just won. _"I thought you were just a one-man team who didn't care about anyone,"_ the ex-empress was saying, her voice cocky, but her words sincere. _"But now that I've fought beside you, I know that's not the case. You're always thinking about your friends out there."_

Haseo felt shocked again at hearing those words, anger retreating before fully disappearing as he contemplated the twin blade's words. In his fury's place came sorrow -pure, unrelenting sorrow. "Friends... yeah...," the Adept Rogue sighed cynically. "But, you shouldn't have them in the first place. That way, you'll never have anything to lose..." His thoughts drifted to the Twilight Brigade, and Shino. "Or so I thought," he whispered in addition.

The memory pulled away, jumping onto a tangent and pulling another harvest cleric up from the back of his mind. This one did not wear a contrasting outfit of black and white like Shino did, but a calming compliment of white and pastel green. Atoli, as he remembered her about the third time they had met, when they had gone to that field area with the meadow, looked up at him from under her hat brim almost timidly but still determined to say her piece. _"But Haseo,"_ came the echo of her protest, _"There's no meaning in that. Personally, I think it's also important for us to slow down sometimes and stop and... and enjoy things like flowers blooming around your ankles. Nice things like meeting new people!"_

Before he could even smile at the ridiculous but heartfelt and true statement of hers, another memory was playing before his eyes. The warm, thick twilight tones of Mac Anu covered the backdrop of the city, as a tall brunette and a pudgy beast player stood before the Adept Rogue. Even in his memories, Silabus looked beautiful, his amber eyes glowing as he looked into the teen's eyes; a smile on those pink lips. _"I mean, I think you've got some real leadership skills!,"_ Silabus argued, his hands resting on his hips in utter confidence. The shadow warlock at his side nodded his head vigorously, turning his attention to Haseo. _"And I second that thought! Come on! Let's do this together!,"_ Gaspard pleaded, his brown eyes large and hopeful. They hardly gave him even a second to absorb what they had said and turn down their offer, before Silabus was thrusting out his hand, the smile on his face growing a couple inches wider as a hearty blush coloured his cheeks. The sight had made Haseo's heart skip a beat for the first time in a long while, just as it did now as he watched it replay in his mind. _"Okay, then. I'm glad to have you, Haseo,"_ the brunette said, his voice cheerful and proud. _"Our new guild master!"_

Their point made, the memories receded altogether, leaving the teen to clutch his head with one hand as he bitterly choked out a couple dry laughs. He knew there were even tears in his eyes, but Haseo could hardly care. "I'm such an idiot...," he mumbled to himself remorsefully. "I always seem to forget the things that are really important -the things I swore to protect. AIDA k-keeps taking the p-people I care about away, b-but I'm the one hurting them f-first... e-even when I don't m-mean to..." He trailed off for a moment, wiping at his eyes in mild irritation before lifting his head and looking around the treasure room. Getting here was meaningless to the teen; what point was there in achieving his goal if he sacrificed his friends and his love along the way? Not much, the lonely boy could see. With a wry smile, he stared at the treasure chest -so close!- before shaking his head.

"I think I'll bring those guys along after all," he declared to no one. "From now on, we're moving forward together!" And with a determined step, Haseo turned and walked back out of the room; leaving the chest untouched.

* * *

Silabus and Gaspard were right where Haseo had left them. The blade brandier stood with the dog-beast, who was much too upset to even cry at the mean treatment of the Adept Rogue. Silabus had been trying his best to get the boy to speak to him, but for all his hugs and comforting words, the child would still not talk to him. With a sigh, Silabus himself fell silent._ 'Why?,'_ the brunette thought. _'Why did Haseo have to yell at us? We were only talking...'_ But maybe that was the issue. Silabus tried to think back on the events leading up to their abandonment. It was hard, because remembering made heat film over the young man's eyes. Shaking his head, Silabus tried to focus. After the first warning, Haseo hadn't responded negatively to their talking again... at least, until they had mentioned Atoli and Haseo himself. Not for the first time, Silabus wondered about the Adept Rogue's past. If he understood more about the teen, then maybe... maybe he could connect with the youth better. And then maybe Haseo wouldn't get angry with them so often...

There was a sound, at the end of the chamber, and the brunette turned to the it. "Ah...!," the gasp slipped past his lips before Silabus could cage it, and Gaspard raised his head mutely at the noise. The child stiffened beside him, whispering Haseo's name. Both of them fell quiet after that, watching as their guild master approached them. Silabus shuffled in front of Gaspard a little, worried that the Adept Rogue had returned only to yell at the pair further, and wished to protect the dog-beast from his verbal abuse. The teen looked anything but angry though as he pulled to a stop before the two of them.

"Um...," Silabus mumbled, lost at what to say or do. He had never seen Haseo look so ashamed before.

The teen's red orbs locked with the brunette's before he glanced away, nervously raising his eyes again. "Wait, let me say this...," Haseo started softly, cutting off any words that the blade brandier might of said. The silver-haired youth raised a hand idly, gesturing randomly over his shoulder. "The beast statue is over there. There're no more monsters. So..." He fell silent for a moment, before taking a deep breath. "Let's go together."

Gaspard choked at the half-apology, half-invite, running from around Silabus and towards the Adept Rogue. "Waaahhh! Haseoooo!," the boy cried, tears running down his rotund cheeks. Silabus felt his own heart seize up in his chest at the teen's words, happiness and relief fighting for dominance inside of him. The tears that had threatened earlier pricked at his eyes now, and he smiled crookedly at his friend's return. "Haseooo!," he said tearfully. He watched as Gaspard ran for the teen, and the brunette felt the urge to do the same as well. "H-hey! Wait up!"

Haseo barely had a moment to acknowledge that his two comrades were running at him, before he was crying out in surprise, his arms full of the two players. He rocked precariously on his heels as he was glomped, trying to stay focused as he realized just _what the hell was happening_! Catching his balance, the Adept Rogue looked at the males glued to his sides; Gaspard's arms wrapped around his waist where the boy could best reach, Silabus pressed in just beside the dog-beast, his arms wrapped around Haseo's neck. A slow blush worked its way to the silver-haired youth's cheeks, his heart racing at the unexpected situation, while his thoughts calmed under the comforting hold. Smiling just a little, Haseo wound his arms around both players, pulling them closer without anyone's notice.

* * *

Silabus couldn't be happier. He hadn't realized how torn he had felt at Haseo's departure, until the teen had come back for them -all contriteness and unsure apologies. Despite the madness of a few minutes earlier, the brunette was happy that Haseo didn't really hate them and still wanted to be their friends. He hugged the Adept Rogue tightly, knowing Gaspard was doing the same just beside him. After a few quiet moments -where Haseo didn't yell at them, despite the fact that they were invading his personal bubble. A definite plus!- Gaspard started to giggle. Silabus felt his own chuckles rise. "You guys...," Haseo sighed, so close to the blade brandier's ear, warmth highlighting the exasperated tones. Silabus opened his mouth to say something but shut it quickly with an inaudible squeak.

The brunette pushed away from Haseo quickly, the same time that Gaspard did. Ignoring his friends for a second, the brunette lifted his headset off slightly, looking around himself. Twilight spilled over the park where he had been jogging, making note of how empty the place was. Yuichi thumbed his HMD anxiously, staring at the sparse park. Many people were heading home now, finished with work, school or hanging out with friends. The young man bit his lip, glancing at his watch. He probably should return home as well. Turning on his heel, Yuichi slipped his headset back on, reality fading into a dimly-lit rocky dungeon chamber. For the second time in a month, the brunette wondered if he should restrain his game play to indoors... especially if there were perverts groping distracted player's butts in the park. Returning to **The World**, the blade brandier was surprised to see Gaspard waddling ahead, shouting random, joyous things to the ceiling. Haseo was waiting just before the brunette, his red eyes on the green-clad player. Was that concern in his eyes that Yuichi saw?

"Silabus...?," the teen asked. "Anything wrong."

"Oh, no, no," Yuichi blushed, responding to his pseudo-name. "Nothing at all."

Haseo looked unconvinced for a second, but then he shrugged and held his hand out for the brunette. "So, ready to finish this quest?" Yuichi settled into his character again, already forgetting the random molestation. As Silabus, he nodded, reaching out and taking his friend's hand.

"Yes," he replied. "Let's get going."

* * *

Ryou shifted under his covers, pulling them higher as he rolled over onto his side, struggling to get his eyes to close so he could get some sleep. The motion did nothing but wake him up further, and the teen exhaled heavily, glancing at the red digits on his alarm. He had about four hours before dawn. If he didn't fall asleep in the next fifteen minutes, he'd be drowsy the entire day. Ryou shifted again, laying on his back and gazing at the ceiling. He forced his eyes closed and lay there, listening to the sound of the city just beyond his window. After a moment, the sounds melded into voices, and the blackness behind his lids brightened into sunny, tropical rock walls.

_"W, what are you looking at?,"_ his voice came out in an embarrassed half-growl as he turned to the studious gaze of his two guild members. Silabus' eyes were alight with awe and something else, his lips pulled in a content little grin, just like they had been a couple hours earlier.

_"We did it!,"_ the brunette finally cheered, turning to his companion. Gaspard was clapping his hands wildly, brown orbs filled with adoration and joy. _"You look awesome, Haseo!,"_ the boy praised amid a fit of laughter. The teen couldn't help but to smirk at their compliments as he studied his own new upgrade, his heart thrumming in his chest with pleasure. That had been a good moment, seeing them truly happy after the fiasco during the quest.

Ryou's mind rewound to earlier, when the trio had entered the treasure room and finally approached the treasure chest. It had come as a surprise to learn that the only way to get the item was for all three of them to open the chest at the same time, otherwise he would have failed this quest and lost his job extension. Even more shocking was that it was Antares that had urged the two players into helping the Adept Rogue. Dropping the collected symbol into his inventory, the teen turned to his comrades. _"I'm curious... Why did you help me?"_

Silabus clutched his hands before him in his mind, shifting on his feet anxiously for a moment. _"Lately you always look like you've got something heavy on your mind...,"_ the brunette confessed, his eyes not quite meeting the other's. _"And so we wanted to do something to help you out."_

Gaspard nodded from beside the blade brandier, and the teen felt his heart fill with warmth at their admission. Their kindness and concern touched him greatly; more so that Silabus had noticed his troubles once again. Truly, he loved this man. Ryou let the memory slip back into the recesses of his mind, comforting himself with the sincere emotions he had received from his friends. All in all, today had been a good day. He had managed to get his third form again, spent some time with his favourite pair (even if he had snapped on them, without meaning too) and even got to cope a feel while Silabus had been in his arms.

_Silabus in his arms..._

That was definitely gonna stick with him for the next couple weeks._ 'If only...,'_ Ryou thought to himself, feeling his body leaden slowly. The teen amused himself with thoughts of the brunette in his arms again, whispering sweet 'I love you's to each other, as he finally slipped off to sleep.

**C.M.D: Alright, so I incorporated a lot of game play for this chapter. Was anyone else odd enough to think that Silabus' email made it seem like he was blushing when he wrote it? And honestly, was anyone else flabbergasted at how freaking unreal and uncalled for Haseo was acting, yelling at his teammates? I was so tempted to chuck my controller at the screen when that happened. The only time in the video game (aside from his nauseating 'Omg, I totally just realized out of nowhere I love Atoli' crap come the 3rd game) that me and Haseo were ever out of sync.  
Anyways, there was a lot for this chapter so I hope you all like it. And look- some progress! I should be getting around to some relationship aspects soon... hopefully...  
Alright, that's all I have to say for now. REVIEW and tell me your thoughts, and I'll see all of you guys next update. Ja ne!**

**Oh, and one more thing actually... If you're looking for some more HaseoxSilabus goodness, check out my other fanfic _Fable Crescent_. There's a chapter with our favourite pair there for your reading pleasure. See you later!  
**


End file.
